


Smoke without Fire

by smaragdbird



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Hickies, M/M, Secret Relationship, thorin thinks the worst of thranduil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5143565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their escape from Mirkwood, Thorin notices some hickies on Kili's neck and assumes the worst. Because there's no way Kili would be willingly in Thranduil's company, would he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smoke without Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this ](http://hobbit-kink.livejournal.com/5821.html?thread=14038461#t14038461) prompt on hobbit_kink.

Thorin frowned when he saw Kili. They and Fili shared a room in the inn where the Master of Laketown had put them and while Fili was snoring on his bed Kili was taking advantage of the warm water that had been brought up. He had stripped down to his undergarments immediately and Thorin got a good look at the bruises littering his body. Most of them looked like they had come from the barrels but the rest…They looked suspiciously like hickies.

They had been in single cells all of them and unless Thranduil’s guards had taken some liberties with – Thranduil, of course. He should have seen it immediately. Thorin clenched his fists. As if he had not enough reason to despise Thranduil.

“Here, let me help”, Thorin said softly and took the cloth from Kili’s hand to help him clean his back. All the while Kili was happily chatting about Laketown and how nice the people were and how he wished they could have taken a bow or two from the Mirkwood elves. 

“Their bows?” Thorin was surprised. He wouldn’t have thought that Kili wanted to talk about Mirkwood, not after what Thranduil had done to him.

“They had an interesting shape. And I would have liked to know which kind of wood they use for them. I couldn’t get a good look at their arrows and strings. Not that Beorn’s bows were bad but they lacked some craftsmanship.”

“If you say so”, Thorin was quite happy to leave the judgement of bow making to Kili.

“Do you think the people here would let me take a look at their bows? They trade with the elves after all.”

“Possibly if you ask them.”

“I hope so”, Kili grinned at him and wrung the water from his hair. Thorin got another good look at the hickies littering his skin and his face darkened for a moment. His fingers would leave similar marks when he throttled Thranduil for laying his hands on Kili.

/

“You’ve grown much more beautiful since the last time I have seen you”, Kili said when he saw Thranduil leaning over him. When he had lost consciousness during the battle, Kili had been certain he would die.

“You were hit over the head”, Thranduil said dryly.

“That alone cannot account for the streaming ivory of your hair and the crystalline blue of your eyes.”

“Twice at least.”

“One day you might be as handsome as I am.”

“You look like raw meat.”

“Beautiful raw meat.”

“Chopped up and sauced with orc blood.”

“Sounds delicious.” Kili licked his lips suggestively.

“I am not that easily tempted, dwarf.”

“Prince dwarf”, Kili corrected him, “since we have reclaimed Erebor.”

“Not until your uncle is officially crowned. Shouldn’t a prince know better?” His thumb traced Kili’s bottom lip until Kili caught it with his teeth and gave him a playful look. “Not yet.”

Kili rolled his eyes. “Everyone lives. I feel that should be celebrated.”

“When you’re not bleeding we’ll celebrate.”

“That should better be a promise.”

“You weren’t this forward last time”, Thranduil said.

“I didn’t mean to offend you”, Kili back paddled quickly.

“You haven’t”, Thranduil replied and then leaned close until his lips brushed Kili’s ear. “And yes, it was a promise.”

/

“You seem rather…close with Thranduil” Fili said when they were alone. He hadn’t heard what his brother and the Elvenking had talked about but their body language had implied an intimacy that Fili hadn’t anticipated.

“He’s not so bad”, Kili shrugged. “At least not as bad as Thorin made him out to be.”

“You should still be careful around him”, Fili warned him.

“It’s a bit late for that”, Kili replied with a smug smirk that told his brother everything.

Fili spluttered. “You…when?!”

“Back in Mirkwood”, Kili shrugged but then his expression suddenly changed. “Please don’t tell Thorin. He’ll blow this so much out of proportion.”

“Of all the foolish things you’ve done – “

“Hey! It’s not like you’re completely innocent.”

“Of this I am more than innocent. If I had known that each time you went up there you-“

“ – I am an adult you know, not a child”, Kili snapped.

“Thranduil is - “

“Handsome”, Kili finished for him. “Interesting to talk to and he treats me like an equal. That’s more than I can say for you sometimes.”

Fili recognised the stubborn set of his brother’s face only too well. Thorin wore the same expression more often than not. He knew to pick his battles. “Just promise me to be careful.”

“Promise”, Kili said with an eyeroll.

/

Thorin was half asleep when he heard voices. One of them was Kili and the other sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it at the moment.

“You should rest.” Did he imagine it or did Thranduil actually sound concerned?

“I’m fine.”

“You were lucky. Maybe you shouldn’t strain Aule’s favour.”

“I’m having faith in your skills as much as in Mahal.”

Thorin opened his eyes. Kili was at his side, greeting him with the biggest, most brilliant smile Thorin had ever seen from him and he smiled back.

“Fili?” He asked tentatively, not certain if he wanted to hear the answer in case…

But Kili’s smile never wavered. “He’s sleeping. If you had woken up earlier you would have seen him instead.”

“Your nephews were more than adamant to keep their vigil at your side.” Over Kili’s shoulder Thorin could see Thranduil looking down at him and Thorin felt his good mood dim.

“Thranduil healed you”, Kili told him and graced Thranduil with his smile as well.

“I did what I could but I suspect your famous stubbornness is as much responsible for your recovery as my skills. At least it’ good for something.”

“So if it comes to Thorin it’s a good thing but with me you curse me to Mandos and back?”

Despite Thorin’s expectation Thranduil laughed. “Thorin’s stubbornness so far hasn’t threatened to undo my work.”

“He’s right, Kili, you should go back to bed.”

Thranduil gave him a surprised look but Kili followed his advice as usual. “I’ll come back later”, he promised.

“I should thank you”, Thorin said slowly when Kili was gone.

“Don’t strain yourself, Thorin. The stress would be adverse to your health”, Thranduil said dryly. “Also you should take your own advice and rest. If you die now I know a few people who would be rather cross with you and going by their reputation they would retrieve you from Mandos’ halls just to kill you again.”

“When have you found a sense of humour?”

“Your memory is faulty, Thorin. I always had one”, Thranduil said with a smile. “But I’m serious. Rest now. Your body needs it. We can trade barbs later when you feel better. You’re hardly a competition for me at the moment.” With that Thranduil left him.

/

“If Thorin catches us I’m dead”, Thranduil said although he didn’t sound as if he minded much.

Kili laughed, breathlessly and kissed him again. “You’re beautiful”, he said, smoothing an errand strand from Thranduil’s face.

“Am I?” Thranduil asked back but his expression was softer than his tone would have indicated. 

“Your hair is like streams of mithril flowing through the heart of the world. Your eyes shine like star-sapphires fallen from the sky. Your skin has the fine hue of pure rose quartz and –“but Thranduil put a finger over his mouth to stop him.

“You make me blush”, he said to Kili with a soft smile.

“I’m only telling the truth.”

“And you? If I did not know better I’d say you were carved from the finest teak with your hair made of the darkest walnut with shades of oak and mahogany and your eyes a pair crafted from ebony: the last beautiful thing in this world.”

Kili averted his eyes for a moment but Thranduil tilted his head upwards again with his fingers under Kili’s chin and held his gaze. They were so close that Kili could feel Thranduil’s breath on his skin, could feel the heat radiating from him, could see the faint flutter of his pulse beneath his skin.

“I’m old enough to have seen many treasures and even more faces but you’re the most beautiful of all of them”; Thranduil said and Kili kissed him because what else could he do?

/

Thorin gave a formal dinner for Dain and Thranduil who would leave Erebor the following day to return to their respective kingdoms. No one could fault them, winter was coming and it wasn’t going to be pleasant. Some of Dale’s ruin had been turned into makeshift housing as fast as possible but many people still had to live in tents. 

Bard and Thorin had agreed to share what food they had between their people to ensure that no one would starve to death. And Thranduil had pledged to send what he could spare as well for some reason. Still Thorin remembered more than one harsh winter from his youth and the weather wasn’t promising so far. The dinner would probably be the last chance to eat plentiful before the next spring, maybe even summer.

To his right Fili listened to Dain talking about the trade with the eastern tribes while Kili had a lively discussion with Bard about bows. He would have missed it if Kili hadn’t brushed his hair over his shoulder, baring his neck in the same moment Thorin was looking at him. There was an unmistakable dark spot just underneath the edge of Kili’s jaw and another on his neck just peeking out from under his collar. They were definitely of recent nature.

He looked to the other end of the table where Thranduil was engaged in a polite conversation with Nori of all people. When he caught Thorin glaring at him Thranduil seemed confused for a moment but then understanding dawned on his face. Without breaking the eye contact he brushed his hair away from his neck as well and then turned to Nori again.

Thorin’s scowl deepened when he saw similar marks on Thranduil’s neck as on Kili’s. He knew exactly what Thranduil was trying to imply and the bastard even had the nerve to look amused.

/

“Did Thranduil touch you?” He asked Kili the next morning. Fili was still asleep or at least he hadn’t come down for breakfast yet.

Kili went red like a tomato.

“That bastard”, Thorin clenched his fists. “I will have his head for treating you like this.”

“It’s not like that!” Kili said quickly only to go even redder when Thorin looked at him. “I mean he didn’t force me or anything.”

“You don’t have to lie to me”, Thorin said gently.

“I’m not. Thranduil is…I mean we…I…I like him. A lot.” Kili looked at him like he was expecting to be hit. Thorin stared at him in shock.

“You…what?”

“And he likes me too”, Kili bit his lip while he waited for Thorin’s reaction.

“Kili, whatever he told you, you can’t trust him.”

Kili shook his head. “He says the truth. I know he does.”

“He would say whatever he needed to make you believe him. Thranduil is an excellent liar or have you forgotten already what he did to us?” Anger gripped Thorin tightly. Not at Kili, who was barely more than a boy and couldn’t be blamed for his naivety but Thranduil.

“He’s changed.”

“A snake remains a snake even if it changes its skin.” Thorin scoffed at the very idea. “You don’t need to worry about it. You won’t see him again. Erebor doesn’t need Mirkwood.”

“Why won’t you listen to me?” Kili yelled. “I like him. Maybe it’s unwise. Maybe he’ll break my heart but right now I don’t care. I want him. I nearly died a couple times on this quest. I’m not a child anymore. I know you want to protect me but at least let me make my own mistakes.”

Kili had never been shy to defend something he was passionate about, be it archery or joining on this quest. But it had never been directed at Thorin before. Dis had often remarked that Kili took a lot after Thorin but he had never seen it so clearly. The stubborn set of his mouth, his blazing eyes, they looked familiar because Thorin had seen them on his own reflection.

“I cannot forgive Thranduil”, Thorin said slowly, “Or give him a second chance, or even accept that his feelings might be genuine and not part of a ploy. I can only offer to turn a blind eye to whatever happens between you two as long as you are happy. The moment that changes I will make him pay.”

“Thank you”, Kili said with a smile and hugged him tightly.

“Are you two done yelling at each other?” Fili asked from the door. “Some of us are hungry.”

Thorin and Kili shared a long look. “For now”, Thorin said eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


End file.
